loire valley - best place to stay
 

Wanting to stay in Loire valley for several days - would Vendôme Loir et Cher be too far from the central sights? It appears approx. 30 minutes from the chateux's. Looking for a good bed and breakfast.

Hi marilee
Vendome is to the north of the Loire Valley, and you would be travelling quite a distance to reach many of the best chateaux in that area.
Unless you have a compelling reason to stay there, I'd prefer to be somewhere more central.
We were just outside Tours, and had reasonably short drives to anything we wanted to see.
Having said that, Vendome is a beautiful little town and well worth a visit! Di

I'd choose Amboise over Vendome. We visited just about all the chateaux when staying nearby in Onzain. Onzain itself is very smal but has a wonderful hotel, Domaine des Hauts de Loire.Amboise has more to offer in the evening. We enjoy coming backto a country house hotel with restaurant so we don't have to drive after dark and can enjoy our wine!

It's been ten years since I was there, but I remember noting to myself that if I was to return to the Loire Valley I would want to stay in Amboise.

in researching the same, i found this place in the village of Molineu near Blois:

http://www.moulindeloire.com/

it is about 6 or 7 miles from Blois,

Can only go by others' reviews at this point, so checked tripadvisor, and the place sounds lovely!

oops, that should be village of Moiineuf. it is between BLois (closer) and Amboise.

This pass August we stayed at Château Chanteloire near Blois. The location was great to drive to the Loire castles and to Amboise as well. If you like serenity at the end of the day after visiting the châteaux, this B&B is worth considerations. Click on "Votre chambre" to view the rooms.

http://www.chateau-de-chanteloire.com/Bienvenue.php

We stayed in Amboise last year for four days and found it to be a great central location for exploring the area.

If you are going in July or August try to attend the Spectacle "A LA COUR DU ROY FRANÇOIS". http://www.renaissance-amboise.com/i...ref=BC71375081 It was a wonderful evening with local actors from age 5-80. It was located at the Amboise Chateau and was absolutely fabulous.

A less expensive hotel in Onzain is Chateau des Tertres. I stayed in '81 and '84 for a total of 7 days. Nice central location, smaller town

Thank you for all the suggestions and lodging suggestions. There seem to be so many beautiful places to stay - it is difficult. One wants to see everything Thanks again.

We stayed in Blois, loved its location and loved the town.

I think Amboise is the perfect place to stay if you only have a few days in the Loire. I had 10 days and stayed in Amboise, Chinon and Saumur.
In Amboise I stayed at Le Manoir des Minimes, which was absolutely lovely, situated along the river. The rooms had beautiful views of the Chateau d'Amboise (which, by the way, is well worth visiting). I'd love to go back!

hi marilee,

we have stayed both in Saumur and Amboise. Personally i preferred Saumur, as it's a real town rather then tourist base, but after our trip this year, i have a new favourite - Chinon. we only went for lunch, but it has a great location near the middle of the loire area, and we loved the feel of it. and it's very easy to get in and out of.

as we didn't stay, i can't recommend a hotel.

Agreeing with annhig about Amboise being a tourist base, I´ll go even farther and describe it as a tourist ghetto. It´s a great place to meet other tourists. Amboise has become the ¨rue Cler¨ of the Loire Valley.

Certainly we should suggest a more imaginative base choice:

1. The Cheval Blanc in the small village of Bléré, between Chenonceau and Tours. Bléré is much quieter and less touristy than Amboise. This hotel/restaurant changed hands in early 2008 with the long-time owners retiring. Under the new owners, (Hélène et Fabrice Tavernier) the service is reportedly much more efficient but their culinary reputation is yet to be established. During the week (Tuesday to Friday) two courses (entrée and main dish) are €22 with a €7 supplement for dessert. Despite a change of owners, I still find this location worth considering as a place to base oneself.

www.lechevalblancblere.com

2. Personally I enjoy staying in the center of Tours (between the train station and Place Plumereau), it's central to all of the châteaux of the valley and there are plenty of restaurants, cafés, museums, and shopping for everyone's taste. There are a number of chambres d'hotes (B&Bs) in Tours as well as outside of town. This is a particularly good choice for those without a car.

For a complete list of area's lodging possibilities, check here:

http://www.ligeris.com/

My favorite hotel in Tours is (with free parking):
Hotel du Manoir :
2, rue Traversière

http://site.voila.fr/hotel.manoir.tours


3. Between Blois and Tours
Auberge de Launay
in a beautiful setting and a wonderful restaurant
http://www.aubergedelaunay.com/

4. Hostel du Roy
in Chenonceaux
http://www.hostelduroy.com/

5. la Ferme des Berthiers
just south of Tours in a very homey setting
http://www.lafermedesberthiers.fr/

Near Chenonceaux:

6. Le Bon Laboureur
http://www.bonlaboureur.com/

7. La Roseraie – Hôtel/Restaurant
http://www.hotel-chenonceau.com/

Amboise. Real cool to eat at a restaurant in the shadow of the Chateaux.

Not Tours (just a small city), not Blois (a nicer city but far from Chinon, Saumur, and chateaux like Villandry, Azay, Usse, and the Abbey de Fontevreaud -- and sorry for butchering any name spellings).

Thank you for your great suggestions......Love the accomodations - I will certainly find a great location. Thanks. Marilee

I have a question.....is Saumur too far from the chateaux's - it appears it is an hour and a half to Amboise? thanks....

marilee - we didn't find it so.

you can easily get to Fontevraud [for the Abbey] Chinon, Amboise, Azay-le-rideau, Villandry, Candes, etc, and of course, Saumur and Angers.

depends on how long you want to stay in one place, really.

regards, ann

Chenonceau...Bon Laboureur, as mentionned above. Excellent place. High end restaurant, pool, comfiest beds.